When the beautiful woman plays fair!

(Baonghean)In early December, as the Thai protest movement escalated into bloody clashes, in a fit of rage, the protesters launched a massive attack on government buildings, and the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck seemed inevitable.

Ms. Yingluck will resign if the people participating in the referendum agree to do so.

The decision to resolve the situation, which resulted in a remarkably successful truce, was truly a spectacular victory for Prime Minister Yingluck in the eyes of both the international community and the people at home. She used flexibility to overcome rigidity, ensuring her own position while defusing a major threat, preventing Thailand from being pushed to the brink of a major conflict.

Furthermore, after the Thai king's birthday, knowing that the protesters would not give up their ambition to force Yingluck to resign by any means (specifically, former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thausban had called for a final protest on December 9th to force her resignation), on December 8th, Yingluck made a very straightforward commitment: she would resign if the people participating in the referendum agreed. Yingluck Shinawatra stated on national television that her government was exploring all means to end the conflicts with the opposition, and "We will hold a referendum so that the people can decide the future of the government."

Clearly, this statement shows that Ms. Yingluck is in a very stable and confident state of mind, and she wants to play fair. She will only resign if the majority of the people truly want her to, and she cannot resign for any other reason, especially subjective reasons suggesting that she and the government she leads are merely puppets manipulated by her brother – former Prime Minister Thacksin. This decision also shows that Ms. Yingluck wants to bring the protests, spearheaded by Mr. Sunthep, into the public eye to assess whether they truly represent the will and aspirations of the entire Thai people, whether they represent the genuine development needs of the country, or whether they are simply an unfair and unjust power struggle, or even a deliberate attempt to unfairly label someone.

In making the decision to hold a referendum, Yingluck had anticipated her chances of winning, as her party and she personally were increasingly demonstrating their high sense of responsibility and dedication to their roles. Furthermore, Yingluck understood Sunthep's true intentions: that he had access to numerous sources of information that would ensure she and her party would easily win a formal election.

Taking advantage of Prime Minister Yingluck's position, Sunthep urged the formation of a "people's council" composed of "good people" to replace the current government. However, Yingluck rejected this idea, arguing that it was undemocratic and unconstitutional. She also did not provide details about the aforementioned referendum but stated that it was constitutional.

By behaving in such a convincing way, Yingluck is proving that she is the true embodiment of righteousness, while the leaders of the protests are merely individuals driven by personal motives and ambitions for political power, not representing the majority.

Chi Linh Son